Apartment with companion beds



H. B. LETTLEFIELQ APARTMENT WITH CDZ JPANIOW BEDS Filed Am! 3.6, 19 3 3Sheets-Sheet 1 "INVENTOR.

HamyBLfff/gfM/d BY ATTORNEYS 1 1,647,973 H. B. LITTLEFEELD APARTMENTWITH COMPAQION BEDS Filed April 15, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

[72112 9 5, LfH/effa/J BY Mar Mk ATTORNEtg Nov. 1, 1927.

H. B. LITTLEFIELD APARTMENT WITH COMPANION BEDS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledApril 1 1923 11-VVENTOR. ffewry 5. Z/ff/ef/e/o A TTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 1, 1927. i

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicn.

HENRY B. LITTLEFIELD, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO.

APARTMENT WITH COMPANION BEDS.

Application filed April 16, 1923. Serial No. 632,552. I

This invention relates to apartments with companion beds. Moreparticularly it includes means whereby improved housing facilities aremade possibleand whereby the construction of each unit of the housinggroup will have exceptional advantages in the matter of economy ofspace, arrangement, and use, both as living and sleeping quarters.

Under the conditions brought about'by the high real estate values andthe resultant congestion in urban communities, various expedients havebeen resorted to to provide more space during the daytime withinapartments, such as folding beds, beds concealed in closets and invarious temporary and built-in articles of furniture. Buildings havealso been made to accommodate beds in special recesses formed under theflooring of certain of the rooms and closets. In many of sucharrangements, however, there is the disadvantage of placing the bed in aportion of the building where it does not receive sufficient light andair, and in certain localities there are regulations to prevent suchunsanitary features of apartments with positive requirements thatfolding beds be placed in outside walls of a building and receiveadequate light and air. Such regulations accordingly limit the varietyof floor plans which may be introduced in apartment houses without goingto extraordinary expense. 7

In my Patent No. 1,443,582, granted J anuary 30, 1923, I have set forthone means of avoiding the disadvantages referred to.

The object of my present invention is to provide a type of building,modified but slightly from standard construction, and co operating withcompanion beds to economize space and permit flexibility of plan ofhousing structures. Another object of the invention is to provide aspecial type of eompanion beds co-operating with the specialconstruction of building mentioned. Other objects of the invention willappear in the course of the following description. To the accompl shmentof the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of themeans hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detailcertain structure embodying the invention, such disclosed means .ng,however, but one at various structural forms in which the principle ofthe invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing: 1

Fig. l is a sectional view of a building showing two adjoining roomswith companion bed units in each of said rooms; Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing one bed in raised and one in lowered position; Fig. 3 is asimilar view showing the companion beds in one'room, one of said bedsbeing in stored position; Fig. 4 is an end view of the beds shown inFig. 3; l ig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the lower bed ofnarrower width and inwardly positioned plunger legs upon the upper bed;Fig. 6 is a perspective view partially in section showing a portion of abuilding and the relation of the companion beds thereto; Fig. 7 is aperspective view showing one of the companion bed un ts; Fig. 8 is aperspective view showing two companion bed units in stored or nestedposition; the springs, mattress, and other appurtenances being in place;Fig. 9 is a plan view of the bed showing one form of counterbalancingmechanism; Fig. 10 is an enlarged center sectional view of the centralportion of the counter-balancing mechanism; Fig. 11

is an elevation showing a plunger leg'for at tachment to a bed. unit;Fig. 12 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one of the plungerlegs and the trigger latch and its associated mechanism; Fig. 13 is ahorizontal sectional view of the plunger leg taken through the doublepulley, taken along the line 13-13 shown in F ig. 12, looking in thedirection of the arrows; Fig. 14: isa horizontal sectional view of thecorner post of a bed unit taken through the center line of a claspattachment and showing the pulley box in top plan, taken along the line14-14 shown in Fig. 11, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. .15is a horizontal sectional view showing the part of the clasp attachmentwhich is first adjustedand bolted to an upright corner post of a bedunit, taken along the line 15-l5 shown in Fig. 11, looking in thedirection of the arrows; F 16 is an elevation of the part shown in Fig.15; Fig. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary sect onal view showing thechannel groove in the plunger leg to accommodate the op erating cableand its pulley; Figs. 18 to 19 are enlarged sectional fragmentary viewsshowing the means for guiding and position the cable adjacent ths renterleg; and

Fig. 20 is an end view of one of the hangers used along the operatingcables to support and guide the trigger cords.

As has been indicated, the invention is adaptable for individualbuildings, and also lends itself to incorporation in a building groupconforming in artistic arrangement with a general plan in such buildinggroup. In such building group 'itis possible to arrange in each buildingunit the grouping of individual living apartments in the most desirablerelation to each other so as to provide for the maximum of lightand airfor the living and sleeping rooms as well as to pro vide for the otherfeatures considered in loeating a house upon a building site. Such unitsmay be called house apartments in distinction to the well knownapartment house type of structure and said units when so arranged ingroups may be provided with the usual combined heating and lighting andother services as is customary in apartment house structures.

WVhether used in a single building or in a. group arrangement it will benoted that one room of exceptional size is provided and that by means ofan opening in the base of the dividing wall between two of the roomsadjacent the baseboard, it is possible to pass a bed into and outof saidroom thus providing a largeopen room for use during the day as a livingroom and one which at night may be readily converted into a sleepingapartment; Through the provision of comzpanion beds, one of said bedsmay be used in said large room, and the other of said beds in anadjacent room, preferably a bedroom, and during the daytime said bedsmay 3e as sembled in the bedroom leaving the large room wholly free foruse as a living room.

Figs. 1 'to 6, inclusive, illustrate the manner in which the beds eo-actto economize space in a building. Thus, the dividing wall 11, betweentwo adjacent rooms, is provided at its base with an opening 12 of aheight sutficient to permit the passage of one of the companion bedunits when it is in lowered position. A suitable slide or panel 13 maybe used to-close the opening between the two rooms when the beds havebeen transferred to the room desired.

As is clearly shown in Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawing, the companion bedscomprise two bed units 21 to 22, respectively, one unit being adapted tobe lowered and the other being adapted to be raised in order that saidbeds may be placed one beneath the other in nested position, as isclearly shown in Fig. 6.

The details of the mechanism whereby the beds are controlled forms thesubject matter of a separate application Serial No. 632,551. filed April16, 1928, but,.as is shown in the drawing,.each bed is provided withextension legs 23, of the plunger type and controllable by means of asystem of compensating mechanism 24 secured beneath the central portionof the frame of each of the beds. This mechanism is designed toresiliently balance the bed at an intermediate point upon the plungerlegs, and it is shiftable upwardly or downwardly therefrom with butslight effort applied to any part of the bed frame. A trigger operatedlatch 83 is provided to secure the horizontal portion of the bed atthedesired elevation. The details of the mechanism whereby therespective bed units are raised and lowered are fully set forth in myeo-pending application to which reference is made for a more completedisclosure.

As will be most readily seen in Fig. 7, each of the companion bed unitscomprises abed frame 31 of substantially standard design, excepting thatthe legs at each of the ends are abbreviated. The bedstead illustratedis a metal bedstead although bedsteads of wood or of any period ofdesign may be constructed in accordance with the invention. Thecompanion bed units may be of the same size, with extension legs fittedto the inner and outer ends of the lower and upper beds respectively, asshown in Fig. 2, or they may be made in graduated sizes.

As shown in the drawing, the bow frames 3:2, 33, forming the head andfoot portions respectively oi? the bed, terminate a short distance belowthe side rails 34, 35, respectively. Upon eachvertical portion of thehead and foot members which constitute the end posts of the bed,telescoping leg mechanism is applied. The telescopic leg members may beplaced within the corner posts of the bedstead or attached to the sidesthereof. These telescoping or plunger legs are best illustrated in Figs.11 and 12, and comprise theplunger leg proper and a sleeve portion 36slidably engaging the upper ends thereof, adapted to be secured by meansof a specially designed clasp to the respective corner posts of the bed.The clasps are shown in detail in Figs. 14, 15 and 16, and comprise aninner and outer plate 38, 39, respectively, adapted to be secured to itsdesignated corner posts by means of a headed bolt 40.

The outer plate 39 adapted to embrace two sides of the corner post whenthe latter is of rectangular cross-section and is provided with a fiatface ll positioned diagonally of the corner of the post to which it isapplied. Adjacent the side edges of the flat lace, grooves 42 areprovided upon each side face of; said plate, which grooves are adaptedto be engaged by appropriately shaped terminal edges on clamping membersadapted to be secured thereto by means of bolts -14 extending throughsaid clamping n'ienibers and having their central portions resting intransverse recesses formed in the outer supporting plates 39. The outerends of the clamping members are of concave shape and 4-6 is received.As is clearly shown in Fig.-

12, the upper portion of the main section of the plunger leg is providedwith a recess'? within which the upper end of a cable 48 is adapted tobe secured by means of a set screw #19 operating in a screw-threadedaperture 50 at right angles to said recess. A channel 51 is provided atone side of the plunger leg to accommodate the cable which is extendeddownwardly from its upper end and about a pulley 52 mounted in a box 53tion to the plunger leg.

adjacent the lower end of the sleeve. The method of supporting thepulley upon the sleeve is illustrated in Fig. 13 and comprises a metalstrap 54 curved to extend about the sleeve and having aperturedextension ends 55 through which a two-part fastening member 56 isadapted to extend. Said fastening member has a cylindrical centralsection serving as the axle of the pulley and a positioning and holdingmeans for the pulley box. Immediately beneath the pulley box a sleeve 57is provided for'housingthe trigger latch mechanism of the device. Thismechanism comprises a latch bar 58 provided adjacent its forward endwith a shoulder 59 against which an expansion coil spring 60 housedwithin said sleeve is adapted to bear. An annular plug 61 screwed intothe rear end of the sleeve serves as an abutment for the other end ofsaid spring. The rearward end of the trigger bar is provided with an eye62 within which is fastened a trigger cord 63. The plunger leg isprovided with a plurality of recesses, 64, 65, formed in the bottom ofthe channel provided for the operating cable. These recesses are of asize suitable to be engagedby the forward end of the latch bar whichthus serves to lock the sliding portion of the plunger le in itsuppermost and lowermost position. K tapered axial socket 66 is providedin the bottom of the plunger leg to receive the extension shank of thecastor 67 which may be of the standard construction. A set screw 68 isshown in Fig. 12 engaged within a' recess disposed at right angles 'tosaid tapered socket 66 and may be adjusted to securely clamp the castorin operative rela- As is shown in Fig. 18 a tongue strip 69 may beinserted within the'sleeve to serve as a means for centeringtheoperating cable and guidingthe plunger leg in its travel up and downin said sleeve. In Fig. 19 is illustrated a modified form of means formaintaining the operating cable in ,a central legs at position, saidmeans comprising a pair of studs 70 having their inner ends rounded andprovided with screw-threaded sections adjacent their base wherebytheoperating cable may be maintained in position and the plunger legguided up and down in the sleeve.

As is shown in Fig. 7 particularly the counter-balancing means forfacilitating the ready adjustment of the horizontal portion of the bedto different heights comprises a spring and cable mechanismappropriately supported beneath the usual position of the bed spring. Asis shown in Fig. 7, the central portions of the side rails of the bedare connected by means of a cross-bar 71. Centrallyof this bar, as ismore clearly shown in Fig. 10, an upstanding stud 72 is provided whichserves as a shaft upon which a pair of superposed pulley wheels 73, 74,are adapted to turn. The lower end of said stud projects downwardly andis fastened to the base of a channeled guide bar 26, hereinafter to bedescribed. The upper pulley wheel 73 provided with an extension sector 75 having a grooved flange within which is secure the main power applyingcable 76 for said pulley. The opposite end of said cable is extendedover a pulley 77 supported upon a bracket 78 secured to one of the siderails and is securely fastened to one end of a coil spring 79 extendingparallel to said side rail and having its other end attached to abracket 80 secured to the opposite end of said side rail. The mainportion of the pulley 73 is provided with a groove 01 adequate size toreceive four operating cables 48 which extend to the respective plungerthe respective corners of the bed, as has been heretofore mentioned. Theouter ends of said operating cables are secured within the recessesformed in the ends of each of said plunger legs and the inner ends,

of said cables are secured, at appropriately spaced points, to thepulley wheel7i. It will readily appear that any desired fastening meansfor. the cables may be employed.

Upon each of the operating cables 18 a plurality of hanger-s 81 issecured, said hangers serving to sustain and guide the trigger cords 63extending to the respective latch bars 42, as heretofore described. Theinner ends of said trigger cords are secured at appropriately spacedintervals about the grooved periphery of the second pulley 74 mountedupon the stud 72 and may thus be operated simultaneously to release saidlatch bars from the recesses 64 or 65, in the plunger legs with whichthey may be engaged. The means for operating the pulley 74 comprises alever arm 82 secured to said pulley and pivotally connected at its outerend with an operating bar or trigger 83, which'extends from saidcount-enbalancing mechanism to a convenient position upon one of theside rails of the bed. Thus. by shifting said trigger bar the latch barsmay be simultaneously withdrawn from'the recesses in the plunger legsand the body portion of the bed will thus be left free for movement in avertical direction. It is intended to have the tension upon the springso adjusted that the body portion of the bed will be normally maintainedatan intermediate position between the two limits of adjustmentindicate" by the respective recesses 6d, (55, in the plungor legs. Thus,by merely releasing the trigger, the horizontal portion of the bed willmove one'half the distance in the reverse direction and only a smalldegree of pressure or lifting tension will be required to move the samethe balance of the desired distance. Furthermore, the pressure orlifting tension, as the case may be, according to the direction ofmotion in which it is desired to move the body portion of the bed, maybe applied at practically any point about the bed frame, inasmuch as thecounter-balanc ing mechanism serves to equalize the power and distributethe same to the s veral moving parts.

In the form of construction illustrated in Fig. 9, the supportingmembers for the central mechanism comprises a cross-bar 91. well as apair of diagonal bars 92, 93, and an inverted U'shaped channel-bar 26.The channel-bar is adapted to engage over the upstanding side of anangle bar 27. the other side of which is fastened to the floor, at apoint where it is desired to store the bed unit so equipped.

The coil spring 90 in Fig. 9 is preferably housed within a guard member95, which serves to protect anyone handling the bed from injury.

\Vhen the adjoining rooms are each used for sleeping purposes the bedswill appear as they are shown in Fig. 1. Then, however. it is desired touse the larger room as an open living room, through the retraction ofthe latch and the application of slight pressure upon the horizontalsection of the bed 21, the same may be lowered to the floor level, as isshown in Fig. 2. At the same time, the bed 22 in the adjacent room iselevated by releasing the trigger latches and applying a slight amountof lifting tension to the horizontal portion of the bed until it hasbeen raised to a height suliicient to perm t the first mentioned bed tobe rolled immediately beneath the lastmentioned bed, when the latcheswill automatically snap into their sockets and maintain the upper bed inits raised position. IVhen the beds are so assembled, the upper bed maybe used. if de sired, for sleeping purposes, although it will be at aslightly higher level than that at which it is intended to be positionedwhen ready for use.

In Fig. 5 is illustrated a modified form of the companion bed units. Insaid form the bed intended to be stored beneath the other is made oflesser width than its companion unit and the plunger legs of the largerunit are positioned inside of the side frame members of the larger unit.

In addition to the use of the invention in connection with a houseapartment, its adaptability for the equipment of institutionaldormitories, hospital wards, hotels, homes and ordinary apartments, isclearly apparent.

In order to facilitate the moving of the lowermo-t bed unit into properposition beneath its elevated companion unit, a guide member 26.preferably an inverted U-shaped channel-bar, is provided upon the underside of the frame of said lower unit, which guide member is adapted toengage with a co-opcrating guide member 27, preferably an angle bar,secured to the flooring of the room within which the beds are to bestored and terminating at a point. centrally of the opening inthedividing wall between the two' rooms. See Figs. 1, 2 and 6. The detailsof the construction of the co-acting guide elements are set forth in mycompanion application above referred to.

Thus it will be evident that through the construction whereby theflooring extends continuously through the opening into each of theadjacent rooms upon a single level, the lowered bed unit may be readilymoved into storage position in the room reserved as a bedroom. The guidemember provided on the floor of the second room makes it possible tomove the bed quickly through said opening after the channeled guide baron the bed is engaged over the upstanding edge of the angle bar on thefloor. The channeled guide bar may be provided with an enlarged openingat its forward end to facilitate the engagement of the co-acting parts.

It will be noted that when the beds are in stored position that they arein substantially the same free position in a room as when they are readyfor use for sleeping purposes, inasmuch as they are not enclosed in anydark air-tight recess or closet and stand out in the room with ampleopportunities for ventilation and free access of light and air. Ifdesired, the beds may be set out. separately in the bedroom. Thelowermost bed unit may be elevated at any time a suflicient distance todisengage the guide members and thus free said unit for movement in anydirection desired.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the structureherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the followingclaims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as myinvention 1. In a building construction for apartments with companionbeds, the combination with two adjacent rooms separated by a wall havingan opening at and immediately adjacent the position of the baseboard, aflooring extending continuously through said opening into each of saidrooms upon a single level, of companion beds comprising two entirelyseparable, individually complete units, means associated with one ofsaid units for adjusting the same to a height permitting it to be passedthrough said opening, and means associated with the other of said unitsfor elevating the same to receive said first men ioned unit in nestedposition therebeneath.

2. In a building construction for apartments with companion beds, thecombination with two adjacent rooms separated by a wall having anopening at and immediately adjacent the position of the baseboard, aflooring extending continuously through said opening into eachot saidrooms upon a single level, of a closure for said opening, conipanionbeds comprising two entirely separable, individually complete units,means associated with one of said units for adjusting the same to aheight permitting it to be passed through said opening, and means associated with the other of said units for elevating the same to receivesaid first mentioned unit in nested position therebeneath.

3. In a building construction for apartments with companion beds, thecombination with two adjacent rooms separated by a wall having anopening at and immediately adjacent the position of the baseboard, of aflooring extending continuously through Said opening into each of saidroomsupon a ingle level, a guide member secured to said fiooringat rightangles to said opening, two entirely separable, individually completecompanion bed units adapted to occupy the same floor space when innested position, and means upon one of said bed units for co-operatingwith said guide member to control the movement of said bed unit throughsaid openin 4:- In a building construction for apartments with companionbeds, the combination with two adjacent rooms separated by a wall havingan opening at and immediately adjacent the position of the baseboard, ofa flooring extending continuously through said opening into each of saidrooms upon a single level, a guide member secured to said flooring atright angles to said opening and having one end terminating at a pointadjacent thereto, two entirely separable, individually completecompanion bed units, means for adjusting the vertical height of thehorizontal frames of said bed units whereby the same may be placed onebeneath the other to occupy the same floor space, and a guide memberupon one of said bed units for engaging said floor guide m m When saidunit is in lowered position.

5. A building construction having 1n combination two adjacent roomsadapted to serve units adapted to be assembled in nested rela tion insaid bed room and being of greater and lesser size respectively, the bedunit of.

greater size having a normal and an elevated nesting adjustment, theunit of lesser size having a normal and a lowered nesting adjustment,said last-nan1ed unit being adapted when in lowered position to passthrough said opening intoeither of said rooms, and the other of saidunits being adapted when in elevated adjustment to cooperate with saidopening to receive the unit in lowered adjustment when it is moved apair of entirely separable, individually complete companion bed throughsaid opening from said day room 7 into said bed room and to conceal saidunit and also the opening in said baseboard.

6. A- building construction having in combination two adjacent roomsadapted to serve respectively as a bed roomand a day room, a separatingwall having a large unbroken upper area and provided at and adjacent theposition of the baseboard with an opening of somewhat more than normalbaseboard height, a flooring extending continuously through said openinginto each of said rooms upon a single level, a pair of entirelyseparable, individually complete companion bed units adapted to beassembled in nested relation in said bed room and being of greater andlesser size respectively the bed unit of lesser size having a normal anda lowered nesting adjustment, and being adapted when in lowered positionto pass through said opening into either of said rooms, and the unit ofgreater size being adapted to cooperate with said opening to receive theother unit in lowered adjustment when it is moved through said openingfrom said day room into said bed room and to conceal said unit of lessersize and also the opening in said baseboard.

Signed by me, this 5th day of April, 1923.

HENRY B. LITTLEFIELD.

